The invention relates generally to a vehicle seat back having a ski tote bag and in particular to a seat back which provides a tote bag that is removably mounted to the seat back.
One common method of transporting skis with a vehicle is to attach the skis to the vehicle with an exteriorly mounted ski rack. The use of an exteriorly mounted ski rack poses a security problem because the skis can be removed from the rack by breaking the lock provided with the rack. As a result, many skiers wish to transport their skis in the vehicle trunk but are prevented from doing so due to the length of the skis which are typically too long to fit within the vehicle trunk.
Many motor vehicles are equipped with rear bench seats that have a seat back with a fold down panel. When the panel is folded down, access is provided from the trunk into the vehicle passenger compartment and visa versa. With the seat back panel folded down, it is possible to put skis in a vehicle trunk with the skis extending into the back seat area of the vehicle. However, dirt, snow and other debris carried by the skis can soil the vehicle interior. Furthermore, the skis are visible through the vehicle windows. Some seat manufacturers have provided a ski tote bag in the seat back. The tote bag extends into the passenger compartment with the skis contained in the tote bag to protect the vehicle interior and to conceal the skis from view. However, ski tote bags like this have no provision for access between the passenger compartment and the trunk. The opening through the seat back is confined by the ski tote bag.
Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide a ski tote bag in a vehicle seat back which also contains a pass through between the passenger compartment and the trunk.
It is a further object to provide a tote bag and a pass through using a common opening in the seat back.
It is another object of the invention to provide a ski tote bag which is folded into a thin package for storage in the seat back but which can be extended sufficiently to use with long skis.
Since the inside of the tote bag can collect dirt and debris from the skis as well as snow and moisture, it is also an object of the present invention to enable the tote bag to be removed from the seat back for thorough cleaning.
In one embodiment, the seat back of the present invention contains a foam body forming a seat back cushion having a front surface against which a seat occupant rests his or her torso. A recess is formed in the foam pad and extends rearward into the seat back behind the seating surface. An armrest cushion is stowed in the recess and is movable from the recess to a forwardly extending use position for use of the armrest. In the armrest use position, the recess in the seat back is revealed. The rear wall of the recess is pivotally mounted to the seat back. The rear wall is movable from a position closing the recess and an open position extending forward from the recess, and resting upon the armrest. In the open position, a passage into the trunk is revealed. In a preferred embodiment, a lock is also provided for locking the rear wall in the closed position to prevent unauthorized access into the trunk.
The rear wall has front and rear panels which are removably coupled to one another. The rear panel is retained on the seat back by the lock. There is a latch to retain the front panel on the rear panel. The rear panel includes an opening into the trunk which is surrounded by a flexible and an extendable bag attached to the rear panel. The opposite end of the bag is connected to the front panel. As a result, when the front panel is removed from the rear panel, it can be moved forward into the passenger compartment, extending the ski tote bag between the front and rear panels. Since the rear panel has an opening into the trunk, the skis can be inserted into the tote bag through the opening. If it is desirable to open the passage into the trunk as opposed to using the ski tote bag, the entire rear wall of the recess is unlocked and rotated to an open position providing access into the trunk. A number of ways can be used to removably mount the bag to the rear panel.
In another embodiment, the rear wall of the recess is formed in a frame member which is a part of the seat back support structure. The opening through the seat back is formed in the frame member. The tote bag is removably mounted to the seat back frame member about the perimeter of the opening. Again, the tote bag can be attached to the seat back in a variety of ways as disclosed below.